A judge in Moscow has imposed a 2.5-year prison sentence on a manager from the Walt Disney Company for drug smuggling, following the discovery of THC-infused gummies in his luggage.
According to Russian state media reports on Friday, Daterao Jugal Sudhir, 46, arrived in Russia from Qatar in January 2026 and was apprehended at the airport after the gummies were detected during a standard baggage inspection.
He stated that the gummies were prescribed by a physician in the United States after undergoing brain surgery.
Daterao Jugal Sudhir: Russian court found him guilty of drug trafficking
The court determined that he was guilty of drug trafficking and smuggling, as reported by RIA Novosti, referencing the press service of the regional court.
The website of the court features a case file indicating that the case was initiated on February 27 and a guilty verdict was delivered on May 26. Sudhir faced charges related to the illegal possession and transportation of narcotics (Article 228 of the Criminal Code) as well as drug smuggling (Article 229.1 of the Criminal Code). Additional details are not provided.
He received a sentence to serve his time in a penal colony and was mandated to pay a fine of 30,000 rubles ($420).
Prosecutors requested a sentence of six and a half years in a penal colony. However, the court issued a sentence that is below the statutory minimum for the offenses due to Daterao’s guilty plea.
Who is Daterao Jugal Sudhir?
As per his LinkedIn profile, Sudhir has been employed as an Enterprise Program Manager at The Walt Disney Company since 2019 and resides in New York. As per public records, Sudhir manages over 20 projects at The Walt Disney Company, which include partnership integrations with Disney+ and the streaming service Hulu.
He has been recognized as an Indian national, and it remains uncertain if he possesses U.S. citizenship.
The ruling was delivered by Judge Anna Sotnikova, who in 2022 imposed a nine-year sentence on American basketball player Brittney Griner, following her arrest at a Moscow airport for carrying a vape with hash oil. She was freed in a prisoner swap in December 2022.
